Improvement in clamps and gages for weather-boarding



UNITED STATES PATENT Oerol.

IMPROVEMENT lN CLAMPS AND GAGES FOR WEATHER-BOARDING.

Speciflcation'forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,626, dated November 13, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, D. M. MOURLAND, of Little York, in the county of Warren and State of Illinois, have invented a lVeather-Boardin g Spacing and Holding Clamp 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a top view of the instrument as applied to the siding of a house when put on 5 Fig. 2, a side view of the same; Fig. 3, a side view of an adjacent or independent instrument of the same kind used in conjunction with the principal instrument.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to an instrument or device for the use of carpenters in putting up horizontal siding or weather-boarding on houses, the object of it being to gage and set the spacing of the siding, mark the ends for tting up against the iinish77 or corner plate, and hold up the siding in place while it is fastened.

This device saves the workman the labor and time required for measuring each board with the Compasses for spacing, and obviates the necessity of driving nails into the last board to rest the edges on of the board to be put on, which is now practiced, and fewer tools, also, are required on the scaffold to accomplish the work of putting on the siding.

The device consists of adjustable clamps, which are fastened on the side of the house to the corner plate or finish and to the studding, and is regulated in its position by the last board put on, which serves as a guide for placing-the next above it.

A is a rectangular wooden guide-bar, which forms the principal member ofthe device. On the upper side of each end of this bar is pivoted notched or ratchet-toothed metal arms a a, with the teeth on one side or edge, and, also, in each end are fastened at right angles notched or toothed wooden arms b b, with the teeth on the upper side, all of which arms extend out on one side parallel to each other. Fitted with mortises in them to slide on the arms Z) I) are clamps c e, one on each arm, on the inside faces of which clamps are attached spring lever-dogs d d, Fig. 2, the lower ends of which catch into the teeth on the wooden arms b b, and the upper parts of which catch against the teeth in the sides of the metal arms a, a, when the clamps are fastened for using the device in putting up the siding.

B is a gage-block held fast and adjusted by the thumb-screw c, which passes through it and into a tenon on the inside, which tenon slides in a slot, f, in the bar A, as shown in Fig. 2, for adjustment of the device. The gage-block B has a sliding rod, g, passing through the top across and at right angles to the bar A, which rod projects inward on the same side as the arms c a and b b. On the inner end of the sliding rod g is a gage spacing-block, G.

For using this device it is placed up against the finish-plate M, with the inside lower edge 'of the guide-bar A bearing upon the outside of the finish, and the projecting arms b' Z1 resting upon the face of the board, in which position it is secured by the clamps c c, which are brought up against the inside edge of the` finish by means of the lever-dogs d d, the lower ends of which catch in the teeth of the arms Z1 l), and the upper ends of which are held fast by catching in the teeth of the arms a a. When the device is thus set against the finish it is regulated in its position at the same time by the last siding, S, which has been put on the building, the upper end of the lower clamp c being placed under and against the lower edge of the siding S, as shown in position in Figs. l and 2. The device having been then already set properly for spacing the siding by adjusting the gage-rest C to the measurement required, which is done by shifting the gage-block B on the arm A, and fastening it in place with the thumb-screw c, a shoulder on the under side of the spacing-rest O will then lie up against the bottom edge ofthe siding S'Awhich is to be put up, giving to it the proper space or distance above the bottom edge of the siding S last put on, and supporting it at that point until the end ofthe board is marked to fit up close to the finish and cut off and the siding nailed up. The end is marked to make the joint against the finishplate M by means of a movable rule or marker, D, which is hooked at one end to the upper clamp c and hangs down by the side of the iinish, so that a parallel line may be marked on its inside upon the piece of siding S to cut the end for jointing.

The marker D is made movable to shift from end to end, as may be required, when the holding device is reversed, either on the left or right hand side of the work.

Under the marker D is placed a little spring, i, which is borne down in marking, and throws the marker D up out of the way of the board When done.

In conjunction with the device above described, another separate adjunct is also used at the heading point of the siding. This is a clamp, c c', with arms a! -and b and levendog ol, similar in construction and operation to the same parts in the device previouslyT described, and having connected with it an adjustable spacing bar and rest, C', fastened by a set-screw, e', the whole being attached to the stud N and the siding-boards, and secured in place by the clamps c c', so that the rest shall support the siding S' With the proper spacin g at the heading above the bottom of the siding S, as shown by Figs. l and 3.

rlhe particular mode of securing the clamps is not essential, and may be modified, using set-screws, for example, instead of a dog Working in ratchet-teeth in the arms; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure l by Letters Patent, is-

D. M. MOURLAND.

Witnesses:

W. C. MALEY, W. W. ALLEN. 

